The Cahul Court of Appeals today issued an arrest warrant against Ilan Shor formally declaring him a fugitive from justice. This was confirmed to IPN by Andrei Băieșu, the prosecuting attorney working the case.

According to the prosecutor, the CCA ruling will now be forwarded to the General Police Inspectorate for further wanted-person proceedings necessary for arresting the leader of the Shor Party.

Ilan Shor is believed to have sneaked out of the country more than a month ago, following the formation of a new government. Departed or not, the businessman-turned-politician has since failed repeatedly to appear in the Cahul tribunal, which hears his appeal against the sentence for the role in the $1B bank fraud. Exiting the country bypassing border and customs formalities is itself a criminal offense for which Shor faces a hefty fine or up to 2 years in prison.